A quick scan of any cafe frequented by members of the creative class and students is like sifting through an archive of the last four years’ Macbook models. The latest accessory among the young and hip? Smiley face, anarchist symbol and Winnie the Pooh — all individualized stickers protecting their privacy from hacks. Or so they think.
While previously those who covered their laptop webcams were generally considered overly cautious (read: paranoid), Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was photographed in June with tape over both his camera and microphone. GOOD Magazine reports that FBI director James Comey recently told a security conference that he also covers his webcam with tape. If the founder of Facebook and the current director of the FBI are covering up, it’s probably an indication that it’s a security choice worth considering. But is it enough to protect you from hacks?
If you don’t want your webcam to be a peeper for creepers, there are further measures you can take. Former NSA hacker Patrick recently released a program for Mac users that notifies them when an application is attempting to access their webcam or microphone. The user can then decide whether to allow or block the stream, and the app will open a separate alert if a malware is trying to spy on your call.
He says tape can only get you so far, and that at some point you’ll have to use your camera for video chat or recording. Private conversations are likely what hackers are after in the first place. “These are the kind of things that as an attacker you would want to record anyways, because otherwise i’m just sitting at my desk petting my dog,” jokes Wardle, according to Motherboard.
While many may think they can rely on their Mac webcam’s green light to alert them to someone watching, this isn’t always the case. Researchers at John Hopkins University have previously been able to access the webcam without turning on the verdant LED. Alternately, many users find confidence and comfort in the idea that their Mac products are impervious to infection. For many years, that was seemingly true: there were fewer Mac users (making hacking less profitable for cyber criminals) and fewer holes in Apple’s OS than Windows.
Apple promoted that notion through clever marketing materials and website copy though, unfortunately, it is no longer the case. In fact, the threats against Mac users are growing. As Digital Trends reports, it was only a few years ago that 1% of the entire Mac user base was infected with a malware that exploited a Java flaw. Apple even swallowed their pride and put a page on their website about it.
More recently, the first known ransomware attacks on Mac computers hit more than 6,000 users in March of this year. According to Reuters, hackers infected the systems with the “KeRanger” ransomware through a compromised copy of torrenting program Transmission.
As with other ransomware programs, Keranger locked files on the users’ computers before demanding a one bitcoin ransom — or about $400, according to TIME . Mac users are just the latest victims of 2016’s ransomware epidemic, with the FBI reporting a 300% increase over 2015. It is estimated this will cost businesses more than $1 billion in 2016. Additionally, music platform Spotify recently found itself playing trojan horse for malware to Mac users, displaying advertisements to customers using its free service that would take them to dangerous websites.
And it’s not just MacBooks that find themselves in criminals crosshairs. iPhones are increasingly infected with malware. Mashable reports that at the end of the summer, Apple had to release a security iOS update after it found instances of spyware on iPhones. To add insult to infection, iPhone users are also being targeted by socially engineered phishing attacks.
If you don’t want your Mac laptop or mobile device to become cyber criminal cinema, it takes more than a sticker or even a program like Oversight. You need to accept your mortality to malware and get the programs to secure yourself accordingly.
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